


Up the Beanstalk

by TheBigLoserQueen



Category: Original Work
Genre: Confessions, Cute, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fluff, Friendship, G/T, GT, Giant/Tiny, Giants, Height Differences, Het, Light Angst, Love Confessions, One-Sided Attraction, Original Fiction, Size Difference, TINY - Freeform, fairy tale, jack and the beanstalk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 18:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7982215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigLoserQueen/pseuds/TheBigLoserQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Willow trades a beggar woman a small trinket for some magic beans. She doesn't expect much from it, but perhaps she should have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Up the Beanstalk

Willow sat on the bench in front of her home, shaking her head in despair. Why? Why did she do this? This had been a terrible idea, a waste! And yet, there was she was, holding the sack of beans she had traded a while ago.

But Bethany, her mother who had raised her all by herself until she was an adult, was getting sicker and sicker as time went on. She was able to keep her healthy enough for the past few years, but now the woman was basically bedridden. They had barely any money, so she couldn't just ask the doctor to come look her over and ask for medicine. They had no way to pay for it.

Willow had tried to make their lives easier by inventing little gadgets to help around with the house and farm chores. Sometimes she would even sell them to get some extra money every now and then. But even with the gadgets, they still couldn't afford as much food as they needed. And even though she tried to make Bethany eat more, she wouldn't allow Willow to give up her portions to her.

Bethany's argument was sound, but it still frustrated her. It didn't matter she was her daughter. It didn't matter if she was the young one. It didn't matter if Bethany was dying. She wanted her to keep living. She was too young to die... Damn it, it was all because of this stupid area. This poverty stricken area with dried up soil that couldn't grow crops for anything. Supposedly, decades ago, this land used to be rich and filled with life, but now... No one was sure what had happened. The land just turned to dirt. And with that, everyone grew poor.

Willow looked at her sack in her hands again. She had gone into town that day to hopefully sell one of her gadgets. But as she expected, no one wanted it since it wasn't "the old way." Even though these people desperately needed to adapt to survive, so many people were still afraid to deviate from the old ways of farming.

She would have gone home with the gadgets in hand had she not come across some beggar woman hiding at the edges of the town.

She had no money, but in return for the gadget, she offered her this bag of "magic" beans. She insisted that they were the key to everyone's problems. Willow would have dismissed her if she hadn't mentioned that these beans could ever cure the ill. Just as long as she got Willow's little gadget, she would give her the five beans in the sack.

Willow wasn't stupid, but she was certainly desperate. With her mother sick and dying the promise of being able to cure her... She was running out of ideas, out of remedies. It wouldn't be long until Bethany died in her own bed. Even though it was probably just a dirty scam, she traded the gadget for the beans.

Thinking about it now, it was probably one of the worst mistake of her life. She had no means of planting these properly. The land was completely barren! Good God, what was she thinking? She was smarter than this... Bethany would be so disappointed in her.

Willow huffed, standing up and walking inside the cottage. They didn't have a big home, but at least they had two bed, a kitchen, and a table. That was more than what most people had nowadays... And they were lucky enough to have even this. Some people didn't even have roofs over her head, let alone a kitchen.

When she opened the door, she could already hear her mother throwing a coughing fit. Quickly, she rushed to her side, seeing her hunched over and coughing violently into her blanket. She bit her lip as she rubbed her back, guilt swirling in her chest. She couldn't tell her about the stupid trade... The last thing she wanted to do was put stress on her and make her become even sicker.

Once her coughing fit ended, she gently stretched up a hand to rub her head. "Are you okay? Did you need me to bring you some water?" She placing a hand to her forehead, stroking over it. "Mother... How are you doing?"

She let out another soft cough before giving Willow a weak smile. "You worry too much, child... I'm all right."

Willow knew better, but merely nodded.

"Did anyone buy your little gadget?"

She swallowed, but shook his head and turned away. "No one was interested." Willow lying to her mother, but it was for her own health. He didn't need to cause her worry.

Bethany sighed sadly, lying back down against the sheets. "I see... Well, I suppose I should have seen this. Still, it was worth a try."

"Get some rest, Mother," she said, hoping to change the subject for now. She didn't want her to ask anything about what happened. She couldn't tell her the truth.

And fortunately, Bethany didn't seem to want to fight her today. With a soft yawn, Bethany moved to lie back down on the bed, pulling the covers over herself. Willow got her a pitcher of water, pouring her a small glass and leaving them on the small stool by her bed. Once she saw her breath even out, she let out a heavy huff and headed into the kitchen.

She glanced outside the window and into their field. It was mostly dead with the occasional patch of crops popping up every once in a long while. And while she didn't buy into the whole "magic beans" crap, beans were still food... It could still be grown into food, right? Looking back and forth between her mother and the land, she took a deep breath before heading outside.

She grabbed the small watering can by door and filled it with water. She could at least try planting one... Even if the ground was barren, it didn't hurt to try. And even if it would probably die anyway, she had to give it a chance. For the sake of her mother, she had to try.

* * *

After eating a meager dinner, making sure to save a slightly bigger portion for her mother, Willow had gone to sleep. She wanted to get up early and head into the larger market outside of town to perhaps sell another one of her gadgets. She generally had more luck there than in the small town close to her farm. So when she got up this morning, a little tired and with the sun barely starting to rise, she got dressed before walking over to the window to let some air in.

She did not expect to find a giant beanstalk out in the backyard, stretching up high into the sky to where she couldn't see pass the clouds.

She had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She even pinched herself, just to be a hundred percent sure. There was no way that this was real. But when she ran outside to touch it and felt it was real, she nearly collapsed to her knees.

That bean... That beggar hadn't lied or scammed her. It was actually... It was an actual magic bean that she planted and now this giant beanstalk stood in its place.

She looked back at her house, where Bethany was still sleeping. While she thought about waking her mother up, she had to know. Just what was at the top of this beanstalk? Perhaps food... Maybe food so huge it would feed them for half a year. It was a long shot, but surely there had to be something up at the top! Just better quality food that wasn't potato soup and a stale bite of bread.

Carefully, she stepped onto the plant and pressed her foot against one of the vines. A wave of relief came over when she felt how strong and sturdy it was. Almost like a tree. Feeling more comfortable and confident, she ascended up the towering flora. She was thankful that she wasn't afraid of heights, but she kept reminding herself to not look down anyway. Lord, did she wished she had brought one of her gadgets along. It might have made the trip a little safer.

She continued to climb up the beanstalk, starting to inch past the clouds. A cold gust a wind hit her hard, but she could only shiver and tighten her grip. Falling now would surely kill her, so she couldn't afford to get lax... And she was close to the top. She prayed the climb wasn't a complete waste time, especially since this was all for her mother...

She made it past the clouds, finally ay the top of the beanstalk. Her heart sank when she didn't see any fruit or vegetables anywhere. But when she turned her head, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Not too far from where she was, there was... A castle? Up in the sky?

For a moment, Willow wondered if perhaps she really still was asleep. Or maybe she had fallen off and died. Or she was just hallucinating from being up this high. Whatever the case was, she had to have been losing her mind... Especially when, somehow, on the clouds, there was a huge wooden walkway laid out. As if it were meant to be climbed on.

Decided to talk a chance, the young woman carefully stretch out her foot to touch the wooden platform. She was shocked that it was real, but at least she knew she wasn't just imagining all of this. Deeming it safe, she cautiously moved to stand on the walkway and away from the beanstalk. This was insane. She was... walking along the clouds. She was in the sky! Willow couldn't help but to laugh, a bit giddy about all of this. Even if this all was just some silly dream, at least it was something new and excited.

With only one way to go, she made her way toward the castle. But she noticed the closer she got to it, it was starting to look less and less like a castle and more like a cottage. Much nicer than her pitiful rundown house. It was made of both stone and wood, fine wood even. It looked expensive, almost as if it had been built for a noblewoman. And as she got closer, it wasn't getting any smaller. It was... bigger. Much bigger than anything she had ever seen in her life. And once she got rid up next to him...

She was a mouse. The doorknob towered above her and she had no way of getting towards it. Who even lived in a house this huge?! And the more she thought about it, the more nervous she became... Taking a deep breath, she took a quick looked around. A small hole in underneath the window to her right caught her attention. Inching closer, she could see it was big enough for her to go through, so long as she crawled her way in.

It probably would have been better to just turn back now. The house clearly looked to be inhabited, if she took how clean it looked into account. And she didn't want whatever was inside to find her and deem her any sort of threat... But her curiosity was just too big to ignore. Taking a deep breath, she got on her hands and knees and shuffled inside. It was a little dirty and dusty, but nothing she couldn't handle. And once she was through the hole, she realized she had plenty of room to stand up in.

She definitely wasn't inside the cottage... Judging by the limited light and the panels everywhere, she figured she must have been in between the walls. Slowly making her way through the darkness, Willow squinted to try and find another opening to peer through. While she thought about going inside, it seemed much too dangerous, even if she was curious. A small peek would suffice for the time being.

A sweet smell filled her nose. Oh dear lord, what was that?! It seemed divine... Meat and cheese and fresh bread and-! She licked her lips. She hadn't ever been around such tongue-tingling scents since she was a little girl. And the scene grew stronger the further she walked down. Perhaps she was getting close to another hole?

Sure enough, she could see more light coming from a larger section. Carefully, she scuttled over there and found this hole to be big enough for her to walk through. But she decided to keep herself hidden, peeking out around the corner.

She should have been more prepared. It was, quite literally, a giant dining room. It was ten times more lavish than anything she had ever seen. The table alone was beautiful enough to focus on; it looked as if it had come straight out of a palace! And when she backed up a bit, she could see the top of the table...

And a goldmine of food was laid all on top of it. Eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, biscuits - things that were practically impossible to come by where she was from. And yet, there it was. All right there on that gigantic table. And it smelled divine... She swallowed, her stomach growling softly in need. Right, she hadn't eaten any breakfast this morning... A stupid move on her part. If Bethany knew, she would be furious.

Crap. Bethany. She would probably be waking up soon. And would no doubt panic if she saw the beanstalk and she wasn't around. She needed to get back down quickly... She was glad she brought her little bag with her and some jars. All she needed to do was steal some of the food, just a little bit of it... After all, the food was meant for a giant. Her taking a small piece wouldn't have mattered.

Just as she was about to walk into the room, she heard a loud thud that sent a tremor through the floor. She stiffened, frozen in her spot. What the hell was that? Another thud came, a tremor following, the pattern repeating until whatever was making that sound came into view, which made Willow's heart stop.

A giant. It was a giant man with... short glossy white hair, bright blue eyes, fair skin and dear god, it was an actual giant! But giants... giants didn't look as dignified like the one she was watching now. They were supposed to be big and brainless and hell-bent on eating people. But this one... was just slowly make his way to the table with a cup of what she assumed was coffee. So certainly she had to have been dreaming now. Giants... were things that only appeared in the storybooks Willow read as a little girl. They weren't supposed to exist! So she had to have been dreaming... Or else she was looking at a real giant.

Willow pinched her arm hard. And when pain resonated through her, fear slowly came over her. She wasn't asleep or dead or hallucinating. She was awake. And there was a giant right in her sights.

She had to get out of here. Back to her mother as quick as she possibly could and act like none of this had ever happened. She would come back up here during the night. When it was safer and this giant was sleeping. Sneak around, steal as much food as she could, and then return back to her mother with a feast that could feed them for days. She just had to get out of here as quickly and quietly as she could...

Slowly, she backed away from the hole. Why did she even come in here? She should have suspected something as dangerous as a giant would reside in such a large home! If he caught her... He would probably squish her like a bug on the spot. And it wouldn't have been hard, given his size.

Willow didn't get very far when she hit a beam inside the wall. A small gasp escaped her lips as she found herself falling backwards. She landed hard on her back, unable to stop herself from giving sharp yelp as pain shot throughout her body.

Silverware clattered against a plate. Willow stiffened in terror, knowing very well it wasn't from his end. There was silence for a few moments before she heard a chair being moved back. She gasped as thuds headed towards her, trying to scurry back as quickly and quietly as she could. She only made it a few feet when soft knocks came from the wall, causing her to freeze up.

"Who's there?" he said.

Willow swallowed hard as the giant thick British accent rang through the air. God, please, don't let him notice. Please don't let him notice she was just inside the walls and hiding for her life...

"I hear you breathing," the giant said, though softer this time. "Come out... I'm not going to hurt you."

Willow refused to believe that, slowly creeping away from the hole, ready to make a run for it any second. She had no idea how she could out run a giant, but she would have to try. Run as fast as she could out of this cottage and back down the beanstalk. And then chop it down so this thing couldn't climb down and hurt her or her mother.

But just as she thought about bolting, a great hand broke into the wall and reached for her. Willow screamed, throwing everything out the window as she tried to scramble to her feet. But just as she tried to run, she ended up tripping over the fall debris and landing right on her face. She turned over, only to let out another frightened scream as the giant's hand came over her. She kicked and shoved at it hard, but it proved to be useless as the fingers easily went under her arms and wrapped around her body firmly.

Had she not been panicking, she would have noticed the grip wasn't tight or painful. But she was too busy struggling and shrieking in terror to pay too much attention to it. But her violent struggles were useless as the giant pulled her out of the hole to look her over. While Willow kicked and clawed her nails into his hand, the giant just studied over her with wide eyes for a few moments.

No matter what she did to his fingers, he didn't even seem to notice. Instead, the giant gave a small huff before slowly standing up to carry her to the table. Fear seized her, paling at the idea of being eaten alive.

"Let me go!" she screamed. "Let go, put me down!"

She was suddenly set down on the table, causing her to gasp as she stumbled onto the wood with a soft grunt. But she didn't have time to act surprise, turning back to face the giant, who just kept his eyes locked on her as he sat down. Willow tried to get up to perhaps run and climb down the table, but he simply put his hand down in front of her to block the way.

"You seem like a smart girl, so you should know that my size greatly outmatches yours," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, raising an eyebrow "That alone should tell you that I am far quicker and stronger than anyone you've encountered, meaning if you try to run, I can easily catch you."

Willow swallowed. The giant was right... As terrified as it was, she had no chance against this creature. If she didn't have as much willpower as she did, she probably would have fainted by now. She was practically looking death in the face! But she kept herself as calm and composed as she possibly could. Even if she couldn't fight, she could at least appear to not be completely terrified. Show some bit of strength she had inside her.

The giant sighed when he saw her eyes were narrowed at him. "I'm not going to hurt you... If I wanted to, I would have done so already." He pulled back his hands, resting his chin on them to stare down at the small human. "So, where did you come from? I know you're not from around these parts."

Willow remained silent, looking around the room to find an escape hole. If she could just find a way out, anyway out... She could run back down the beanstalk. She had to get back to her mother. She couldn't let herself get killed for being curious. Without her, Bethany would... She would...

A soft chuckle snapped her out of her thoughts, turning to the giant who now had a soft smile on his face. "You little humans are quite amusing creatures. Even when someone says nothing will happen to you, you don't believe them."

"I don't trust you," Willow blurted out, immediately regretting it when she saw the other's deadpan expression. Crap, she probably just made him angry...

So she was surprised when the giant gave a solemn nod. "Yes... I suppose you have your right not to." Then he huffed, leaning back in his seat "Well... Just so maybe you'll believe me when I say I won't hurt you... My name is Adrian."

"I... I'm Willow," she said cautiously.

"So, Willow, how were you able to get up here?"

She hesitated in answering him. Would he even believe her? She hardly believed it herself and she had done everything herself. "Magic beans... Some beggar woman traded me them for my old milking cow."

"Magic beans?" he repeated, his eyes widened. "I thought they were all destroyed... At least that is what I was told."

All right, so apparently magic beans were a thing with giants... She was somewhat relieved that he didn't think she was crazy or making this all up. For now anyway, anything could change, so she wasn't chancing anything. "There were five in the bag... I thought if I had planted them, they would grow food for my mother–"

"You're still living with your mother?" Adrian said, flabbergasted at the thought. "How old are you?"

She frowned and glared at the giant. She hated when people asked that question... Was it so wrong to still be living with her mother? She didn't care if people thought she should just marry some random man and live with him. Like hell she was going to abandon her only family to marry some loser. The woman had scarified so much just to raise her! It was because of her that she was a healthy woman today. And now with her sick, Willow could only repay her with the same kindness Bethany had given her a child.

"I'm old enough to live alone, but my mother's sick. I have to take care of her. It's poverty-stricken on the surface, unlike here where I see you have plenty to eat and more."

Adrian blinked, a bit taken a back at the sharp tone in the woman's voice. But clearly, he had said something quite rude. Perhaps he should have pondered more on her situation before interrupting her.

"I'm sorry," he said, tipping his head. "I didn't mean to offend you."

Willow thought for sure she had just gotten herself killed for snapping at a giant. But instead of his fist to her body, he actually apologized... This was way too bizarre. She hoped this would just end soon. She needed to get back home.

"So you're taking care of your mother?"

She nodded.

Adrian looked over his table, feeling a bit guilty. He had heard from other giants that the surface had been suffering from crop failures for a long while now, some giants up in the clouds never had to worry about. And he didn't know any humans personally, so while he felt bad, he and many other giants never bothered helping them out. Thinking about it now, it was probably incredibly selfish and even cruel of them... Especially in the cases like this young woman here.

He didn't know much about humans, but he knew a woman her age should have been married by now and living with her husband. But she sacrificed all that to take care of her ill mother, no doubt probably tending to the fields all by herself. He had to say, he was a bit impressed... And it seemed Willow was doing well for herself, even if she lived in poverty. She had plenty of muscle and meat on her bones, not at all thin or malnourished. A pretty blonde woman too, if she were a giant, he could imagine many fawning over her. Women of her shape were rather popular.

"How bad is it down there?"

"What-?"

"Your land. How bad?"

"My village hasn't had a good harvest in years," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "And many of us are too poor to move elsewhere, so we're stuck there and praying a miracle will happen."

Well, if they were only looking for miracles... Adrian stood up, much to Willow's surprise. But she didn't say anything as he walked over to a large cabinet, pulling out a small jar of... something glowing. He came back over to the table and sat back down, placing the jar in front of her. She stepped back to stare at the thing, unsure of what to make of it. It was... so pink. Just what the hell was that stuff?!

"Take some of this," he said, gesturing to the jar. "Like the beans, it's enchanted It's a fertilizer and you'll be able to grow anything with it, no matter the condition of your land. It may even help restore it."

Willow's jaw dropped. Was he joking? That couldn't possibly be true. It had to be some practical joke, just to mess with her. There was no way that was possible! Just a little bit of this... pink fertilizer would grow crops? And even if that were true, why would he give this to her? What did he gain from helping her and her mother (and potentially her entire village) out with magic fertilizer?

Adrian watched the girl eye him suspiciously. He expected it though and gave a gentle smile. "Knowing that while me and my fellow giants are able to live happily while you and your people starve doesn't exactly make me feel good. And as you said, I have plenty to eat and more. I can spare some of my fertilizer."

She hesitated, biting her lip as she eyed the stuff. If it weren't for the fact that she was afraid of what this giant would do to her, she would have taken it in a heartbeat. Anything to grow more crops, to aid her mother and get her well again... And if she took enough, perhaps she could help out her entire village. No one would be starving to death and barely making ends meet...

Her stomach suddenly growled. Adrian stared down at her with wide eyes, surprised. She blushed hard and wrapped her hands around her stomach, looking away in embarrassment.

Adrian then let out a soft chuckle, reaching over her to grab the plate of eggs. Carefully, he moved it around until he placed it right in front of her, the smell nearly knocking her back. Jesus, she was so hungry, she would have eaten the whole thing...

"Here," he said, cutting a small portion of the eggs and pushing them towards her. "Have some. And perhaps you can take some bread back home to your mother whenever you're ready to leave."

"I..." Willow slowly backed away, confused and unsure what to do. Yes, she had been the one to call him out on his fortunes, but this? This was just so much and all at once... She swallowed and shook her head. "I can't accept this. It's-! This is yours and–"

"Just take some," he chuckled. "Really, I don't mind... It seems that you need it more than I do."

Willow wanted to protest and say no, but the sight of the food was making her stomach growl even louder in protest. Finally decided to just bite the bullet, she sat down in front of the plate, reaching out to grab a bit from the eggs. She almost flinched back at how warm and fluffy they were, but quickly grabbed a tiny piece and plopped it in her mouth.

The flavor almost knocked her down. It was probably the most delicious thing she had eaten since she was a child. And they were only eggs! But eggs had been such a luxury she hadn't been able to afford for the longest time... But she realized it, she was digging her hands into the yellow fluff, gorging herself as if she had been starved for days.

Adrian had to chuckle. She looked rather cute like this... And she must have been a lot hungrier than both of them had noticed. So while she stuffed herself, he quietly nibbled on his own food, occasionally pushing a bit of ham or bread close to her, which she would dig into as well.

"Eat as much as you'd like... And if you're ever hungry again in the future, you're welcomed here any time. A beanstalk from those beans can last up to three centuries."

Willow nearly choked on her food. "Thr-Three centuries-?!"

"Yes."

"A-Aren't you worried about people climbing up here and trying to kill you? H-How do you know I'm not going to send people up here to kill you?!"

Adrian actually laughed at that, shaking his head. He wasn't a fool. There was no reason to distrust this woman. She was clearly a kind girl, only wanting to do what was best for her mother. How could he be suspicious of such a sweet girl?

"Of course not. I can tell you're not a bad girl, Willow. You care too much about your mother to be cruel."

She bit her bottom lip before going back to eating, though she ate much slower than before. This giant... Adrian didn't seem so bad. He was actually rather nice. He sounded like a bit of a know-it-all though, but definitely not a bad person. Maybe she could trust him... But not yet. She would have to see if she could leave this place alive and wasn't just being fattened up for a quick snack.

Adrian quietly watched the human as she stood up and pulled out small jars for her little bag. Slowly, she opened up the jar before putting down onto its side, giving her easy access to take as much as she wanted. She didn't say anything before scoping what she could into the jars. She only used four out of the five she had, using the other jar to collect some food, no doubt for her mother.

He smiled. He hoped that everything would work out with Willow and her mother. She was a nice girl... and he would have loved to see her again. He could only hope that she would take up his offer and come back up her again. It would be nice to chat every once in a while.

Just as she finished filling up the jars, Adrian stretched out his hand to her. She jumped back, a small look of fear coming over her face, but he merely set it down on the table, palm up.

"I can take you back to the beanstalk. Unless you want to go alone?"

Willow looked between him and his hand. Surely if he wanted to kill her, he would have done it already. And it was pretty obvious that the giant was trying to be considerate and show he wasn't trying to trick her or anything. For one thing, he was giving her this fertilizer. Why would he do something like that if he just wanted to hurt her? The least Willow could do was try to trust him. He really didn't seem like a bad person... It couldn't hurt to at least try, right?

Adrian smiled a little as she climbed into his hand. Once she was settled, he carefully lifted the girl up, cupping him against his chest. He slowly stood up walked out of his house, making sure not to be too jarring as he made his way over to the beanstalk. Willow was still stunned that wooden boardwalk was able to hold up Adrian... She had to wonder what sort of magic was able to even do this. If she ever came back, maybe she could ask.

The giant set her down to het feet, backing away to watch her make her away over the the plant. Once she was able to find her footing on the large beanstalk, she paused to look back at him.

"Thank you," she said. "For... For the food. And the fertilizer. It really... It means a lot."

He nodded, his smiling widening. "It's not a problem. Remember, you're welcomed up here any time you run low on fertilizer."

Willow finally allowed herself to smile. "Thanks, Adrian."

Adrian watched as she made her way down, disappearing below the clouds. Such a cute and sweet girl... he really hoped he would see her again. But for now, he retreated back to his cottage to finish the rest of his breakfast.

* * *

Every other four days, Willow would go up and down the beanstalk to collect more fertilizer. It had worked just as the giant said. Her once barren dirt fields were now blooming with green grass and crops. And when the villagers saw what had become of her land, she shared the enchanted pink manure with them. It only took one good harvest to get everyone on a path towards good livelihoods.

And with the abundance of crops, Willow was able to make more money and properly take her mother to a doctor. And soon enough, they were able to pay for medication and Bethany had been able to get back on her feet in no time. No longer did she have to sleep in bed all day. She could even make trips into town without feeling the need to pass out. Willow never thought a day like this would come... and to think it was thanks to a giant of all people.

She eventually told Bethany and the other villagers about Adrian and what was above the beanstalk. The villagers didn't seem to care, but her mother had been worried. But seeing how she returned to her safely after every trip, she finally decided that this Adrian was a good person.

Willow was glad to have met the giant. Looking back on it now, she had been being silly. Adrian was a wonderful person, a great friend to her and her village. She sometimes found herself climbing up the beanstalk just to spend time with him. And he seemed to enjoy her company as well, so at least she knew she wasn't burdening him.

But even after all this time, Willow still didn't know how to thank him. The villagers had been wanting to repay the giant for his kindness as well, but even they were unsure. And since she was the closest to him, they had told her to ask. So there she was, standing on the table in front of him in hoped of figuring out what he could want.

"You've helped us so much," she said. "We really want to thank you, Adrian. With you... My mother might have died."

The giant shook his head. "I'm just happy I'm able to put this excess fertilizer to good use. It's better off with you and your people than me."

"But you didn't have to do this."

He shrugged. "Knowing it helps you makes me happy. That's all that matters."

She gave a small blush. Seriously, he was just too nice.

"C-Come on, there has to be something!"

"Hmmm..." He thought about it for a moment. It wasn't like he didn't want anything, but... He didn't want to push anything. After all, he was a giant. And they were friends, so he didn't make her uncomfortable. But perhaps he could try? "Only if you're willing, I have something in mind."

"Of course – anything."

Adrian laughed, shaking his head. Oh how cute this girl could be... He was so lucky to have met her, wasn't he? "Well, if it's all right with your village, I would love to come down to the surface. I could probably bring more fertilizer with me whenever you need it, instead of you having to climb up here."

"Oh! I'm sure they wouldn't mind. But is that all you want? Nothing else?"

Adrian hesitated for a moment, his heart starting to pound in his chest. He knew it was probably foolish, but surely he could try, right? At least see what she thought and felt for him. It had been foolish of him to completely fall for this human girl, but he hadn't been able to stop himself. She was just such a wonderful person, he had never felt this away about anyone else before... But if she only wanted to remain friends, he would understand.

"Well... I would like to be able to spend more time with you. Alone."

The tiny girl blinked, confused.

"I'm not asking you to return my feelings, Willow. But I would like you to at least hear what I have to say.

"Adrian, what-?"

"I like you, Willow. And I don't mean it as a friend."

She froze and stared up at the giant, who rested his chin on his hands. It took the girl a few moments to realize what was being said, only for her entire face to turn bright red. He liked her?! B-But she was just a human! A small human who couldn't do anything for him... Why would he like her like that?!

Adrian had to give a small chuckle at her flustered face. She was never like this, so it was rather cute. And thankfully, she didn't look horrified, just confused. That was all he could ask for, even if she didn't like him back. And he would never ask her to either. He just wanted her to know.

Willow was beside herself. What did he even want her to say to that?! She had never thought about him that way, but... It would have been rude to not at least consider them. Especially after he had the courage to tell her. She probably would not be able to return these feelings, but she could at least think about it... That would be good enough right?

But she found herself unable to speak, only giving a nod to him. And her blush darkened Adrian gave a warm smile, the giant stretching out a hand to gently pat her head.

"There. Now you've repaid me."

 


End file.
